The Federal Parastatals and Private Sector Pensioners’ Association (FEPPPAN) has accused the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) of short-changing its pensioners by N1.5 billion between 2003 and 2017.
The national chairman of FEPPPAN, Mr. Kester Omotayo disclosed this at the association’s national delegates’ conference held in Lagos at the weekend to formally announce the exit of Airspace Management Pensioners Association of Nigeria (AMPAN) from the Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP) to FEPPPAN.
He alleged that NAMA pensions had been altered to the detriment of the pensioners adding that “it is not unlikely that NAMA operates on two pension structures perhaps to deliberately cover up or attempt to cover some sharp practices in the human resources department.”
He said the case started with the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) returnee pensioner returnees to NAMA as the pension increase effective from 2003 was not implemented.
He said the human resources department of the agency had been notified of the anomaly but had done nothing about it.
“Rather, they took offence and decide to delay and suppress actions on our several submissions on the issue since 2017.
The pension indebtedness ahs accumulated to over N1 billion. We have submitted a fool-proof tabulated analysis to NAMA management for over a year, but as usual there was no positive action taken. Our request for dialogue had also been rebuffed,” he said.
He recalled that in 2017 “we requested from them the structure with which our pensions were being paid. We were not only denied but also were told that it was a ‘classified document.’
“This issue has been reported to NAMA Pensions Board of Trustees for well over two years. The board chair person’s instruction to the board accountant fell on deaf ears.
“This same board accountant has also failed to render statement of account to the present board since its inception.”
Also speaking, NAMA retiree and former general secretary of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Mr. Olayinka Abioye confirmed the indebtedness to NAMA employees.
According to Abioye, investigation carried out by the pensioners indicated that they are being short paid by the management to the tune N1.5 billion since 2003.
“As I speak to you today, we have done a comparative analysis of what our counterparts in FAAN are earning and what we ought to be earning if our pensions are correctly computed, is about N1.5 billion between 2003 and now.
“The past management pleaded with the unions that they could not afford to pay what they owed and promised to give us some percentage of the short payment and said when the fortunes of NAMA improved, they will make up the difference. But today, they have been playing pranks,” he said.
He added: “I was retired in FAAN in 1996 and in 2003 or so, those of us who were professionals were transferred to NAMA. And there were some realignment in salary structure and the law says that when salaries and allowances are reviewed, pensions must be correspondingly reviewed, but NAMA never acceded to that.
“As I speak to you today, somebody who retired on the same level with me, the same number of years is earning more than N11, 000 monthly than me. This has affected those of us who were moved from FAAN to NAMA.
“All the increases that the government has announced or the increment in their salaries and allowances in the last 15 years, pensioners have merely benefitted, NAMA didn’t follow the law.”
He alleged that pension fund in NAMA had been grossly mismanaged and accused the management of evading meetings with the unions.
He further disclosed that no fewer than 500 NAMA retirees were affected by the lopsided payment system.
As of the time of filing this report, there was no official reaction from the NAMA authorities.
Staff of the agency’s public relations department who attended the event declined to make comments.
